New life
by carmineglover
Summary: Lindsay leaves Montana after an incident and goes to NY for school. There the most popular guy catches her eye. What will happen when they realise their feelings for each other?
1. chapter 1

Lindsay Monroe arrived at her new school - Dolton High. Moving to New York had been a big step for her. She just needed to get away from her past. Although her parents didn't approve of her moving, her uncle managed to convince them. For that, she was immensely grateful.

"Thanks for the lift Uncle Freddy," she said as she stepped out of the car. "No problem sweet pea. Have a great first day," he said before driving off.

Lindsay headed for the principal's office to get her daily schedule and was out of there as soon as she could. Sure the school principal was a nice guy but she just didn't like being in the principal's office for too long.

Lindsay was so focused on finding her classrooms that the next thing she knew she was on the floor and all her things were scattered all over the floor. She heard someone ask her if she was alright or not and she looked up.

She looked up to the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. "Um yeah, yeah i'm fine," she stuttered. Lindsay set out to picking her things up off the floor.

She heard the guy who she knocked into tell his friends that he'd catch up with them later. "Gosh he has an amazing accent," she thought.

"Here let me help," he said as he helped her pick her things up. "I'm Danny by the way. Danny Messer," he introduced himself.

"Lindsay Monroe," she introduced herself. "That doesn't sound like a New York accent. You aren't from around here are you?" he asked her.

"No i'm from Montana," she replied, picking the last of her things up. "Ah, we have a country girl in our midst," he said, making her laugh.

Danny caught a glimpse of her class schedule and noted her classes. "Hey we have almost all the same classes. Need some help getting to class?" he asked.

"Yes please. I've been trying to find the class for so long. Why does this school over complicate everything?" she joked with him.

"Well Montana maybe they just do it really weird back home," he said. Lindsay's ears perked up when she heard what he'd called her.

"Did you forget my name or something?" she questioned him. "No, i just like giving people nicknames," he told her. " Ooookay then," she replied, chuckling.

The two of them spent the rest of the journey to their class talking and laughing.

However, the two of them only had that same class together that morning. After class, they said goodbye to each other and left to their respective classes.

Entering her next classroom, Lindsay found a seat at the back of the classroom. Her aim was to stay as hidden as possible. Her first assignment was distributed and she was paired up with one of the girls in her class, Emily. Throughout the lesson, the two talked as much as they could while focusing on their project and not getting caught.

Lindsay and Emily soon became best friends. Lunch came all too soon with Lindsay and Emily having two more classes together. Entering the cafeteria, Lindsay was hit by the aroma of school food and the sound of chatter coming from the students.

She was just about to join the never ending line of people in the queue to get their food when she heard a very familiar voice.

"Hey Montana," Danny greeted her. "Hey Danny. What's up?" she asked.

"How's about i help you get your food faster?" he asked her. "And how do you expect to do that?" she asked amused by his suggestion. "Well the lunch lady owes me a favour. I can pull something for you. Perks of being the most popular guy in school i guess." he replied her, flashing her a grin that made her knees go weak.

"Uh yeah, sure. Thanks Danny," Lindsay replied while following him to the front of the line.

"Mrs D, how are you this morning," Danny greeted the lunch lady. "Perfectly fine Daniel. What can I get for you today?" she asked.

"What d'ya want Montana," Danny asked her, his blue eyes locked with her chocolate brown ones.

"I'm alright with anything. I don't really know what I like considering it's my first day here. Why don't you help me pick," Lindsay suggested, flashing Danny her mega-watt smile.

Danny nodded in agreement and ordered both their meals. Once it was ready - which was faster than normal - he picked both their trays up and proceeded to walk to his table.

"Messer, where you goin with my tray? My seat's the other way," Lindsay said, pointing in the opposite direction from where Danny was walking.

"Oh yeah. Sorry bout that Montana. You sure you don't wanna sit with us?" Danny questioned her. Taking one look at the overly perky cheerleaders and the extremely incredibly looking guys, Lindsay decided to pass on his invitation.

"Thanks Danny but i won't really fit in with you guys. Plus I already made a new friend so I won't be alone," she replied, took her tray from him and walked over to where Emily was sitting.

Danny stood, rooted to the ground with a dumbfounded expression on his face. No girl had ever turned him down when ge asked her to sit with him before.

Not to even mention the fact that he wanted her to sit with him. She was different from any girl that he had ever met.

From the time they spent talking in class, he knew that there was just something about her. She could make him laugh without saying much. She could make him smile just by smiling at him.

The only thing that Danny had on his mind the entire day was her and how much he wanted to be able to talk to her again - just the two of them.

He wanted to get to know her. He wanted to get to know the person who quite possibly could be stealing his heart bit by bit.

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The minute Lindsay walked away, she couldn't help but smile. Had he really wanted to sit with her. She didn't really think it was possible that someone like him could like someone like her.

She could feel herself starting to fall for him, just that little bit. That was one thing she couldn't afford to do. The fear that he could very well hurt her and ruin her plans was too great.

She just couldn't risk it. Her uncle had put in too much effort into helping her escape what happened to her.

If her parents found out that she was doing anything besides studying, she would have to go back.

She did, however, need advise on what to do. She couldn't avoid him. They were in the same school, taking pretty much the same subjects and were lab partners.

She knew that there was only one person that she could trust and that was Emily. The two had made plans to go over to Lindsay's place and do homework. She could talk to her about it then.

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That afternoon, Lindsay and Emily were having tonnes of fun studying. Lindsay thought that now was a good a time as any to tell Emily how she felt about Danny.

"Hey Em, I need some advice," she said. "Sure Linds, what's up?" Emily questioned.

"I think I may be falling for Danny," she blurted out. "WHAT. As in THE Danny Messer. Hottest guy in school Danny Messer," she asked in disbelief.

"Yes. What should I do?" she asked. " I think you should tell him. See how he feels. From how you guys have been talking today and how he's been looking at you, I think he may have a crush on you too," Emily finished.

"Thanks Em. I'll see about telling him though. I need to be sure before I embarrass myself infront of everyone."

With that, the two friends continued with their homework, Lindsay's mind still on Danny.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

Hey guys so this is my second fanfic. Please read my first one "without a warning". I'll try and update both as much as possible. I just found a new way to update so that it doesn't disrupt my work. Anyway, Danny and Lindsay are like the best. I hope that this would turn out nice.

Chapter 2

The next week went well for both Danny and Lindsay. In front if each other they were fine. Talking to each other just as friends would.

On the inside, however, the two were dying. Lindsay was trying to build up the courage to ask Danny if he liked her. She just thought that it was too soon. They had only been friends for a week.

Danny, on the other hand, was trying to figure out his feelings for her. The question of whether he should even say anything lingered in his mind throughout the week.

In that one week, however, Danny and Lindsay had grown considerably closer. They would meet at the front of the school below the marvellous oak tree. Danny would then walk Lindsay to her locker, all the while chatting about anything and everything.

To Emily, and everyone looking from the outside, they seemed already like a couple.

They had almost half the same classes on some days and on others, just a few.

They were most excited though for their science classes. Danny had volunteered to leave his partner and partner Lindsay instead.

The pair had immense fun working with the various chemicals and talking and just having fun.

"Danny! Don't pour that one in. You're supposed to pour the other one," she warned him while laughing.

"Oh crap. Sorry Montana. I grabbed the wrong one," he said sheepishly, a rosy blush creeping up his cheeks.

"Ok class, settle down. This weekend you will have an assignment. Your first pairwork, I might add. This will be graded so do your best," their teacher Mrs Conners said.

"Your place or mine," Lindsay asked Danny.

"Yours. It's probably cleaner anyway," Danny answered.

Laughing, Lindsay said,"Sure, I'll meet you at my locker after school and we'll go, grab a bite to eat first then head on over to my place."

With that she turned and left, leaving Danny smiling and thinking about how lucky he was to have met her. He was quickly falling for her and he knew it. He just needed to do something about it.

Lindsay was at her locker packing her bag and clearing her locker when she heard a voice that she recognised too well behind her.

"So I was thinking. We head down to that pizza place down the street, grab a slice or maybe five and head on over to your place," Danny suggested.

"I think that's an amazing idea. Let's go," Lindsay said before pushing past him and heading for the door.

There they sat that afternoon, trying to finish up their assignment. An empty pizza box lay exactly where they had tossed it after finishing it.

"Hey Linds, can I ask you something?" Danny started. He had finally found the courage. Spending that time with her, seeing how she was in a comfortable place, just made him fall for her even more. He couldn't hold it back.

"Damn, you called me Linds. But yeah sure, cowboy. What'dya wanna know?" she replied, using the nickname that she had given him.

Taking a deep breath, Danny started," Would you like to, I don't know, maybe go on a date with me?" he said. " If you don't want to, then it's perfectly fine. I was just wondering," he mumbled.

"Ha ha ha Danny, very funny. Stop joking around. Let's just get back to work," she said.

"Montana, I'm not joking. I mean it," he said, grabbing her hand to get her attention. " You really want me to go out with you?" Lindsay questioned, her voice laced with disbelief.

"One hundred per cent. I like you Linds. A lot. I wanna get to know you," he said, his accent thickening with genuinity.

"Why me though? What's so striking about me that you would want to date me? You deserve better than me. I have a really messed up past that you wouldn't want to get involved in. Why don't you just go out with one of them cheerleader friends of yours," Lindsay retorted, rolling her eyes and turning back to their chemistry papers.

"I like everything about you Montana. From your eyes to your smile to how you can make me smile just by smiling at me."He gestures to her, eyes landing on her lips, which she bit down on uncertainly. "Linds, just answer me this. Do you feel the same about me?"

"I-i-i don't know Danny. I reaaly don't," she replied him, all the while her eyes never meeting his.

"Let me help you with that. Pull away if you feel like it's wrong alright," he told her. Without giving her anytime to process what he had said, his lips crashed down onto hers.

The feeling of his lips on hers made her knees go weak. Had she been standing, she would have collapsed. It was the best feeling she had had in a while.

"Did it feel wrong though?" She asked herself. She knew the answer immediately. Leaning closer to him, she deepened the kiss.

Once the need for air overwhelmed the both of them, they pulled away from one another and rested their foreheads together.

"Well damn Montana," he said, gasping for air, causing Lindaay to chuckle.

"Look Danny, I've gone through too much hurt in my life. From various sources. I just can't get hurt again alright," she relayed her thoughts to him.

"Lindsay, I won't hurt you. I promise. What everyone has said about me - that i'm a love em and leave em kinda guy. That's not true. Just give me chance to prove it to you Linds. I won't deny that there have been a number of girls in my life. I really like you and judging from that kiss I'm pretty sure you feel the same too. Just give me a chance, please," he pleaded.

"Promise you won't hurt me," she questioned. Seeing him nod and seeing the sincerity in his eyes, she continued,"I'll give you one chance. But please don't expect me to open up to you easily ok. Cause that probably isn't gonna happen," she finished.

"Don't worry about that babe," Danny said before covering her lips with his again.

"I could so get used to this," they both thought, all the while enjoying the feel of each other.

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Please rate and review guys. Thanks!!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys. Thanks for reading my fanfics. Those of you who havent read my other one "without a warning" please read that one too. I'm gonna post both as frequently as possible. Thanks for all your support.

Chapter 3

Lindsay came to school early the next morning, hoping to be able to spend some time with Danny before the start of lessons.

Her first stop was of course her locker to relieve her shoulders of the burdens that are her humongous textbooks.

She dropped her bag onto the floor and yanked out her stupidly heavy textbooks.

"It's a good thing I actually like school. If not I would've burned all these in the fires of hell," she muttered under her breath.

Just as that sigh escaped from her lips, she was suddenly face to face with the floor, sharp pain flaring from her side, a curse on the tip of her tongue.

"Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there," she heard someone snigger, followed by a chorus of laughter coming from that general direction.

Looking up, she was met with the faces of the three most popular girls that scaled the social ladder: Nicole Fernandez, the bitchiest of them all, with her scathing tongue and overly make-uped face. She stood scowling at me like a hunter hunting her prey.

Behind her stood a member of her entourage, Kelly Grant. She was the one mean girl that talked little to no sense at all. She was the kind of person who was far from mean. She just wanted to fit in and joined the wrong crowd. She would frequently get insulted by Nicole for her stupidity. No one was ever as afraid of her as they were of the other three.

The last was Therese Park, Nicole's right hand girl. She was also every bit of a bitch that Nicole was. Granted she was the less influential of the three but her harsh words had been known to make even the strongest people upset.

Nicole, Therese and Kelly were the three most popular girls in school. So far they hadn't disturbed her. For that she was grateful. Being the hot headed person that she was, she was pissed after being shoved. She knew exactly why they were there and she was going to use that ammunition.

"Can I help you?" Lindsay snapped at the the three, her voice full of venom. Her fingers itched to flip them the bird, but she resisted. She's a civilised human being, unlike these fake witches.

"Yeah you can. I want you to get the hell away from Danny. He's mine. He never wanted you. Why would he? You're just some stupid transfer girl from the country." Nicole flips her dark hair, face twisted into a sneer. "He could never fall for someone like you. Me on the other hand, he already asked me to homecoming you know," she bragged, trying to anger Lindsay.

The entire school knew that Nicole had a major crush on Danny. It was evident that she wanted him bad. Lindsay was not about to let her steal Danny from her. He was the best thing that happened to her in a long time. Danny already warned her about Nicole and her possessiveness. Lindsay knew that Nicole was messing with her. She was going to use it.

"Really, see I didn't get that. If I remember correctly, and I do, Danny is my boyfriend not yours. If he wanted you then can you please explain to me why he didn't just get together with you?" Lindsay griped with a tone that adults use to talk to children, slow and sarcastic as though the child was incredibly dull-witted.

"You don't even know him. Trust me when I tell you that he wants nothing to do with you. I'm pretty sure the number of times that he's turned you down is evidence to that fact. It was me he was holding in his arms and kissing last night not you. So yeah I can understand why he'd want you," she finished with a finger aimed at Nicole, "Get that in your head, or you and I will have a problem, honey. "

"He does want me," Nicole protested, trying not to lose face in front of the gathering crowd. Her followers seemed confused, as though they were not used to their leader losing a battle.

"Right sure, yeah and you're completely delusional," Lindsay sassed her. Spotting someone in the background, her grin widened and she continued, " You know what? Why don't we just ask the person in question?" she suggested.

She greeted Danny with a full kiss on his lips when he approached her. "Hey baby. So Nicole here was telling me that you asked her out to homecoming already and that you actually want to be with her not me. Is that true?" she questioned him. Danny , blinding blue eyes like the spring sky.

"What? Montana of course not. I never asked her to homecoming and I wanna be with you babe, not her. You're my girl Linds," he ended. Lindsay couldn't help but smile at what he said. Her heart warmed up and almost melted at the smile he was giving her but she knew she had a duty to fulfil.

"Hear that Nicole? I think maybe he asked you out in your dreams and you actually believe it cause you're just that desperate. He's off the market alright. Go find someone else to screw with. We're not interested," she said, all the while smirking at Nicole's confuddled expression.

Not used to being outsmarted , Nicole and her entourage stormed off, furious that Lindsay had the guts to talk to them like that.

"Well hot damn Montana. Who knew that little Ms Monroe was so fiesty?" he asked giving Lindsay the smile he reserved just for her.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me yet Messer. Care to stick around and find out?" she asked, turning around and walking in the direction of their classroom.

"Hell to the yeah," he called out, jogging to catch up with her. The gathering crowd dispersed, their mutterings filled the hallway, but Lindsay didn't mind. She looped her arms with Danny, giggling as he started recounting their Math teacher's horrendous scandal of the week.

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The next few hours of school was uneventful for both Danny and Lindsay. The had classes they enjoyed and some that they didn't. Sitting in class with yapping teachers always tired everyone out.

When the school bell rang, the were ecstatic. They couldn't wait to get out of there and spend time together, albeit doing homework, but all that mattered was that they were together.

The first thing that everyone in class did once the bell rang was pull their beloved phones out of their bags. The teachers themselves grabbed their miscellaneous crap and rushed to their awaiting cars, ready for another night of excessive drinking.

Danny grabbed Lindsay's hand and they headed towards their lockers to get their stuff and head home for the day. Lindsay held onto Danny's arm and wrapped herself around it, leaning her head onto his shoulder.

Danny could not have been happier. Never in his life did he think that he'd find love. Especially not from a brunette country girl. To him, his type had always been bleach blonde, leggy girls with lipstick stains and leather purses. He was wrong. He could feel himself falling for the beauty holding onto his arm like it was her lifeline. And he couldn't be happier. Nothing was ever going to ruin it.

Lindsay was ecstatic. Never had she thought that she would be in New York, wrapped around the arm of her New Yorker boyfriend. She was happy. She could tell that she was fast falling for him. Granted she didn't know him that well, but the little things that he did like caring for her, his kindness to other people, his displays of affection to her, had pulled on her heart strings. Nothing was ever going to ruin it.

As they headed down the corridor, the mummering coming from their peers confused them. They were staring and pointing at her and whispering to one another. She was confused. She could tell that Danny sensed it too. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She could feel his body tense more every time someone stared or pointed at her.

Lindsay didn't understand what was going on. That was until she reached her locker. There, stuck on her locker was a printout of a Bozeman front page newspaper. Reading the date and the heading, she instantly knew what it was about. She released her hold on Danny to get closer to the piece of paper.

Before she could comprehend the information that she had received, she heard Emily run over to her.

So far the only person she had told about what happened to her was Emily. She showed her her phone where the article was sent to every student in Dolton High. Lindsay's face drained of all colour upon hearing that.

Danny took his phone out to see for himself what they were talking about. He checked his recent messages and came across one sent to him by Nicole.

Curious, he opened it and started to read it. His eyes almost popped out of his head as he processed the information on his phone.

His head whipped around to look at his pale girlfriend. "Linds, what's goin on?" he asked, snapping Lindsay out of her thoughts.

"I-i-i I have to go," she said as she ran out the doors and hopefully back to her house. Danny was taken aback by her reaction. He had never seen her so jittery before. She was always the strong headed person that he had first met.

Shaking his head, it finally sank in that she had run and that she could potentially get hurt. Danny grabbed his things and ran after his girlfriend, praying and hoping that she was alright.

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Lindsay ran to the one place she could feel comfortable. She ran up the steps of her uncle's house, opened the door, went in and ran straight to her room.

She brushed past her uncle Freddy who was ready to greet her when she walked up. Freddy was confused. She was supposed to go over to her boyfriend's house.

Freddy approved of Lindsay's relationship with Danny after meeting the young lad. Despite being a New Yorker, he was polite, kind and most importantly he cared for Lindsay. To Freddy, that was all that mattered.

He walked over to the room that Lindsay was occupying. "Linds, open the door. Come on pumpkin," he called out to her as he knocked on her door. "Just leave me alone Uncle Freddy," she screamed.

He could hear her sobs through the door. He was stuck. He didn't know what happened to her and most importantly he didn't know how to help her.

He tried his best to think of something - anything - that he could do to help her. He was broken out of his thinking by the ringing of the doorbell.

He opened the door to a very sweaty and worried Danny Messer. "What the hell happened Danny?" he asked, trying to understand why his niece was acting like that.

"I really don't know. Some kids from school showed her an article from Bozeman about a mass murder and she just went nuts. She ran here before I could talk to her," he said, assuming that Lindsay was there because her uncle knew about how she was.

Freddy visibly paled. He knew exactly what the article was about. There was only one thing that would cause his niece to get so shaken. "Crap. I have no idea what to do," he said with his head in his hands.

"What happened over there?" Danny asked trying to get an insight on why she was acting so weird so that he could go her.

"That's something she has to tell you Danny. Not me. If she wants to tell you then she will. Till then you jus gotta sit tight," he explained worry over Lindsay present in his voice.

Danny stood up, ready to help his girlfriend get through whatever she was going through. He walked over to her room and rapped his knuckles on the door lightly before opening it. He was greeted by the sight of Lindsay lying on her bed, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" he asked her gently while walking towards her.

"Just hold me Dan, please," she whispered to him. Obliging, he lay on the bed and pulled her into his loving embrace. He peppered her hair with kisses while rubbing her back to try and get her to calm down.

Lindsay's sobs soon turned into hiccups as she calmed down. The patch of Danny's shirt that Lindsay was using as a pillow had turned several shades darker than what it usually was.

Seeing that she was calming down, Danny tilted her head up with a finger on her chin and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. Lindsay tried her best to absorb the comfort and support that Danny provided her through the kiss.

"Are you alright Montana?" he asked her, his voice laced with concern.

"Yeah I guess. But I'm sure I owe you an explanation. I guess you'll want to know why I freaked huh?" she asked her eyes never meeting his.

"Linds, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm not gonna force you into doing something that you don't want to do. I'll be here when you're ready to talk. All you gotta do is say the words and I'm there baby," he finished while running his fingers through her hair.

"No Dan, you deserve to know. Like I mentioned before we got together, my life is messed up. And you don't deserve to deal sigh that without really knowing what it is that's bothering me. What happened to me in Montana will affect me a lot. Even here. You deserve to know what you're getting yourself into," she finished, her eyes starting to get moist again.

"Linds, baby, I'm not gonna leave you because, I'm assuming, something bad happened to you. I'm here for you. No matter what okay. If you think that you're ready to tell me now, then I'm all ears. I'm not gonna run Linds," he finished while bringing her head up to look into her eyes. He wanted her to look him in the eye and realise just how much he cared for her.

"Ok. So ermm, I don't really know where to begin," she said, her fingers stroking his chest.

"The beginning tends to be a good start babe," he said, trying to lighten the mood. The giggle coming from Lindsay and the smack to his chest were evidence to him that he had succeeded.

"Jerk. Well ever since I was a kid, I had these three best friends, Kelly, Lucy and Megan. The three of us were inseparable. We met in playschool. We did everything together. After school we'd go to each other's houses and do homework or gossip or talk about boys. They were like the sisters that I never had," she started, Danny's comforting hands giving her the strength to continue. She looked up to Danny, she saw him smiling down at her, encouraging her to get it off her chest.

Taking a deep breath, she continued, " We had planned to go to the same colleges and everything. About a year ago, we managed to get back at one of the most popular girls in school for annoying us. For that we decided to celebrate by going to our favourite diner with my boyfriend at that time, Cameron. He was the most popular guy in the school and he was set than me. When he asked me out, I was shocked at first but I said yes. We had been together for six months by then.Every girl was super jealous.That morning, he told me that he was going to go to Montana state instead of Boston for college so that he could be near me. That was also the first time he told me that he loved me," she said, feeling the emotion building up.

"We normally went there a lot so the manager knew us really well and would let us stay until after closing and we would leave with the waitress. So that day we were there until after closing. We had a mini food fight so I went to the bathroom to wash my hands and - " she broke off, needing a minute to regain her composure.

She could fell the tears streaming down her cheeks. It was getting harder and harder to tell him what happened. She knew he would be supportive. She needed more support though.

She tilted her head upwards and pulled Danny's face to hers and covered his lips with hers. She could feel Danny's comfort through that kiss.

With that, she gained that bit more strength to finish her story. She was glad that he hadn't interrupted her while she was talking.

"I was in the bathroom when I heard the front door chime. I thought it was weird cause the place was already closed. And that was when I heard Kelly scream and the first shot rang out. More screams rang out followed by more gunshots. I was terrified. I sat at the corner with my knees to my chest and my hands over my ears. Then I heard Cameron's voice. He had been sitting the nearest to the bathroom but I could hear his voice getting farther and farther away from me. He was trying to calm the guy down and get him away from where I was. It was actually working until I heard the next shot and then silence," she continued.

"A while later all I heard was silence and the chiming of the bell again. I knew that he had left but I waited a while before going out. It was awful Danny. They were covered in blood and there was blood everywhere. The police came after a while. The neighbours had heard something and called them. I was in shock. The only thing I could do was stare at them. It only hit me that they were gone after a while. The investigation started but they never found out who did it. I gave the description of the guy to the police," seeing Danny's confused expression, she continued.

"I saw him when I pulled the door open a little. The entire town found out about it pretty quickly. Everywhere I went everyone would look at my with that same pitiful expression. They were so cautious around me. They didn't treat me the same. I became the victim of bullying in school because of that. My life became a living hell. My parents didn't help me through it. They honestly don't give a damn about me. It was really hard and I was so sick of it so I came here," she ended.

Danny was furious. Beyond furious in fact. Hearing how they treated her after she had just witnessed something so terrible. Instead of helping her they just cast her aside. Not to even mention her parents.

"Don't worry baby. I'll make sure that that doesn't happen to you here. I won't let them hurt my girl Linds," he comforted her.

"Promise you won't leave me," she asked him hopefully, looking up at him. "I promise Linds. I love you too much," he ended, wanting to gauge her reaction to his admission.

"You what?" she whispered, hoping that she had heard him right. "I said, I love you too much to leave you," he clarified before crashing his lips down on hers.

They broke apart when the need for oxygen was too great. They rested their foreheads against each other, both sprouting smiles on their faces.

"I love you too," Lindsay admitted to him, kissing him lightly on his lips.

Thay lay together and soon were fast asleep, Lindsay exhausted from all the crying and Danny content with laying in her arms.

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hey guys. Did you think that I'd let Danny and Lindsay break up just because of one stupid girl. Their bond is way too strong and I ship them way too much. Anyway please read and review. Thanks guys.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys. Firstly, i would like to apologise for all the errors in the previous chapter. My beta didnt have the time to read it through so i know there were a lot of errors. I promise that I'll minimise that for this chapter and the rest secondly i wanna thank you guys for reading my fics. Thanks for all your support. Love u guys. Anyway lets get on with it.

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Lindsay was awoken from her slumber by the blaring sunlight coming from her bedroom window. "Wait, that's not right," she thought as she got up.

It wasn't supposed to be sunny out. She always woke up early to not miss school. Reading the clock on her bedside table she gasped. It was 9am. School had already started, not that she actually wanted to go though.

Lindsay shot up from bed and grabbed all her things. Before she could get that far, she spotted a piece of paper on her table.

Picking it up, she recognised Danny's scribbling. "Montana, don't freak out. Although I'm sure you already have. You're not going to school today. Don't worry, I'm gonna fix everything and when you get back, everything will be back to normal. Love, D," she read aloud.

She could feel the concern radiating from the ink scrawled in his untidy handwriting. The corners of her lips tugged up into a bright smile, and Lindsay laughs, the sound like the soothing jingles of wind chimes.

She decided to thank Danny in the best, unadulterated way that she could think of - cook him a delicious country style lunch. She opened her aunt's cookbook, trying to find the perfect meal for him.

She glanced upon her favourite meal that her aunt always used to prepare for her - a nice, juicy steak, topped with black pepper sauce with steamed veggies. "Perfect," she thought.

She whipped out her phone and sent a quick text to Danny, knowing that his break would start soon. "Seen your note. I'm cooking lunch. Don't eat too much at school. N thanks for everything. Love ya," she typed and hit the send button.

She went around rummaging through her Uncle's fridge and cupboards to see if she had everything she needed.

"What a joy," she thought with an eye roll once she saw that her uncle had little to no food in his fridge, let alone in his cupboards. Sometimes she wondered how the man fed himself.

She grabbed the house keys and her purse and headed to the supermarket nearby. She knew that her uncle wouldn't be home from work till really late so she wasn't worried on him ruining their 'date'.

Upon her arrival at the store, she went in there and rapidly picked out everything that she needed to make the meal perfect.

Lindsay had made record time to pick out what she needed. It took her fifteen minutes tops to get to the cashier to pay. Seeing that she had bought steaks and other seasonings, her tab had grown considerably large.

Still, if it was for Danny, she didn't mind.

Despite only being a teenager, Lindsay had started saving up as much money as she could throughout the years. She could never tell when her parents would just leave her to fend for herself.

She paid the cashier that was eyeing her up and down and left back to her uncle's house, ready to start to prepare Danny's thank you present.

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Danny was furious. No scratch that, beyond furious. He had reached out to a few friends to find the culprit who had upset his beloved.

He was apalled to find out that it was Nicole. He was going to make her pay and make her endure the pain Lindsay felt, but only ten thousand times worse. He knew that she thought that he would break up with her once he found out. She had no idea how wrong she was.

He stormed through the front doors of the school. He had purposefully left Lindsay to sleep, knowing that she wouldn't be ready to face anyone yet.

Before he left, he gazed at her sleeping face, eyeing the tear tracks still wet on her cheeks. His heart swelled with extreme fondness and love. He smoothed out the furrows of Lindsay's eyebrows, leaning over to press a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Don't worry, Montana," he mumbles, fingers carding through her brown hair. "Everything will be alright, just trust in me. "

He was on a mission to make life easier for her. He was going to make sure that no one talked about what happened and that nobody looked at Lindsay differently because of the incident.

He walked to his locker, deposited his belongings and went in search for Nicole. She was nowhere to be seen however. He wanted to look for her more thoroughly when the bell for first period rang.

He knew he couldn't jeopardise his grades just because he wanted to give Nicole a piece of his mind. He turned in the other direction and headed for his first class of the day, Biology, anger still churning in his stomach.

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Fortunately for Danny, he didn't have any class in common that morning with Nicole. If he did, he was afraid that he might explode at her in class.

By lunch time, Danny was fuming even more. Everyone was looking at him funny and he even heard a few people gossiping about Lindsay. All he saw was red. They were not going to get away with it.

When the bell for lunch rang, he was the first one out of class. He knew that being the most popular girl in school, Nicole would be able to get out of class early.

He stomped through the doors to the cafeteria and spotted Nicole and her entourage easily - they were wearing hot pink after all.

He stalked over to her table and before he could open his mouth to say anything, he was interrupted by her high, pitched shriek.

"Danny! I've missed you. I haven't seen you the entire day," she exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. She walked over to Danny with her arms outstretched, ready to embrace him. But Danny was having none of it.

"Nicole, you really expect me to come crawling to you after what you did? Something so awful happened to her and you decide that it's best to advertise it to the whole damn school. What the hell is the matter with you?" he paused, wanting to get an answer out of her before he continued his tirade.

"Well I had to get you to see who she really was and that she's not good enough for you. Then you would leave her and we could be together finally, without any disturbance," she explained cheerfully, no remorse in her voice at all.

"You really think that I would leave the love of my life just because something like that happened to her? If you do then I'm sure you're completely delusional. And even if me and Lindsay didn't work out, I would NEVER get together with you," he practically yelled out to her, brandishing a finger in her face.

"Oh please Danny, if you're girlfriend is so precious to you, then can you please explain to me where the hell she is. Cause I'm pretty sure I haven't seen her all day," she sassed him, hoping to deflate his ego.

"She's at home, resting. I knew that she would'nt be able to face everyone in school if they kept talking about it. So, this morning when I was getting out of bed, I just let her sleep in. I tucked her in more and came here," he told her smugly.

The look on her face when she realised that the two of them had spent the night together was priceless. "You spent the night with her?" she peeped out, finally losing all her sass, replaced with horror and disbelief.

"Yeah I did. After she ran out yesterday, I followed her over to her uncle's place and held her while she cried it all out. We were both exhausted and we fell asleep, with her wrapped in my arms," he bragged with a grin.

"I just wanna warn you to never ever to that again. You spread anything else about Lindsay and I swear I have no idea what I'll do to you. Understand?" he warned, his voice laced with venom.

Upon seeing her nod in shock at what he'd said, he turned to face the crowd of people gathered around them - which was pretty much the entire school population. "And if I catch anyone of you talking about what happened yesterday or so much as look at Lindsay differently than before, trust me you do not wanna know what I'll do either, got it?" he asked, the venom even more prominent.

Seeing that everyone was nodding, he turned around and left the cafeteria, afraid that he might pull someone's head off.

He entered the bathroom and attempted to calm himself down. He splashed water on his face and decided to check up on Lindsay. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it on. The first thing that caught his attention was a text from Lindsay. He opened it, eager to read what she had said.

 _"Seen your note. I'm cooking lunch here. Don't eat too much at school. And thanks for everything. Love ya,"_ he smiled at her message. He had no idea what she was gonna do but if she was going to cook, then she might have gone to the store.

He decided not to call her yet and wait to see her at her uncle's place. With that, he walked out of the bathroom, much calmer than before. He went to the cafeteria to get something light for him to munch on to satisfy his growing hunger.

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The minute Lindsay got home, she left the food in their respective places and decided to take a quick shower first. She realised that she had'nt had a shower since the morning before.

Once she was more refreshed and did'nt feel or smell disgusting, she made a beeline straight for the kitchen. She whipped out the meat from the fridge and left it out to thaw.

She opened the cupboards and brought out all the seasonings that she had bought to make the marination sauce.

She put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl that she had found and started mixing them together, the sound of the wooden spoon clanking against metal.

She then added her aunt's secret ingredient and marinated the steaks in it. The smell of the heavenly sauce swamped her sense.

Once that was done, she left it out for the meat to soak up all the juices. She then started on the black pepper sauce and lastly ended up cutting up the veggies, slicing each potato with accurate precision.

Since she still had time before Danny came, she decided to relax a little before cooking the meal. She ploped herself down on the couch, the radio tuned to a country station, Carrie Underwood's Heartbeat filling the living room.

Around an hour and a half later Lindsay thought that it would be a perfect time to fire up the grill. She knew that the meal would be perfect by the time Danny got back and she would even have time to freshen up.

She walked into the kitchen and grabbed the things that she had prepared out of it. She ignited the stove, the fire crackling merrily and burning bright red.

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Danny couldn't wait to see what Lindsay had made for him. Never had he wanted to get out of school so badly.

The minute the bell rang, indicating that school was over, Danny grabbed his books and dashed out. He didn't care if he looked ridiculous running around like that.

All he cared about at that point was getting back to his girlfriend and the wonderful meal that she said she had cooked for him.

He went straight to his locker, not bothering to talk to his friends. He even dashed past his best friend, Don Flack. Don had been in LA for his cousin's wedding and had no idea that Danny was dating Lindsay.

Being pushed away by your best friend on your first day back to school is kinda bad. Don was afraid that maybe he'd done something bad to Danny. He didn't want to lose his best friend.

He strode up to Danny, ready to defend himself if Danny started yelling at him. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what he'd done.

"Hey Danno, are you alright? You kinda pushed past me just now without even acknowledging that I was there. Did I do something to you?" he questioned with a worried tone.

"Oh hey Don. I didn't even realise that you were back. I'm sorry I pushed past you. I'm kinda in a rush to get over to Lindsay's place," he apologised, shutting his locker.

"Who's Lindsay?" he asked, his head tilted to the side, a habit he had when he was thinking about something. He didn't know anyone with said name.

"Right, I forgot you weren't here. Lindsay's the new kid. And also my girlfriend," Danny clarified, his cheeks turning a new shade of pink.

"Girlfriend? Well damn. Is she hot?" he asked, suddenly interested. Danny and him were into the same kinda girls - beach blonde leggy girls. He knew that when Danny finally dumped her, he may be able to have her.

"Absolutely beautiful. Her chocolate brown eyes are like the most beautiful pairs of eyes ever. And her copper brown hair's so soft, it feels amazing to run my fingers through them," he described, getting caught up in the awesomeness that was his girlfriend.

"I'm absolutely head over heels in love with her Flack," he added, chuckling softly at his expression.

"Well damn Messer. You're finally growing up. She sounds amazing. I would love to meet her," he told Danny, craning his neck to see if there were any faces that he didn't recognise.

"She's at home. Nicole pulled a bad one on her. She found an article about something horrible that happened to Lindsay from her hometown and decided to display it to the whole school. She's still a little shaken up about it," he explained.

"Oh. Where is she from?" he asked eagerly, wanting to know more about the woman that had managed to steal his best friend's heart. He also picked up on the fact that Danny had said 'her hometown'.

"She's from Montana. Look Don, I would love to stay and chat but I really gotta get going. I'll talk to you tomorrow alright, bye," he bid Don and ran out of the school - literally - without waiting for a response.

"Sure, no problem," he deadpanned to himself before turning around and heading home.

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Danny couldn't wait to see her. He never thought it would actually happen but he missed her. He missed her more than he knew it.

He ran all the way to her place, only stopping when the need for air overpowered him.

He took the steps up to her uncle's place, two at a time, trying to get there as fast as he could. He couldn't wait to see what she had in store for him.

He reached the front door in record time. Grabbing it, he turned it, momentarily forgetting that the door was locked.

His face flushed with embarrassment at his urgency to see her. He brought his knuckles up to the door and lightly rapped them on it.

The door opened a few minutes later, to his liking. The sight he saw in front of him made his jaw drop.

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After the meal was cooked, Lindsay thought that it would be a good idea to freshen up. She kinda smelt like steak at the moment.

She went in the bathroom, stripped her clothes off and stepped under the steaming water.

As the water beat down her back, she could feel the tension of the previous day slowly leave her body. Her previous shower was way too quick to help much.

She was truly afraid of what her schoolmates were going to think about her. She prayed and hoped that the pitiful looks, the whispers and the staring would disappear

That was what she hated the most back in Montana. She hoped that Danny would actually be successful in taking care of the issue with school.

The thought of Danny brought a bright smile to her features. She had found love in the place that she least expected to find.

Moreover, Danny loved her back. She could tell that he'd do almost anything for her and for that, she was grateful.

She hoped that she could display that gratitude to him through the dinner that she had prepared.

She washed herself with her lavender soap and mixed berry shampoo. After she was done, she stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around her Slim figure and pondered what to wear.

In the end, after much debating and messing up her room, she settled for her favourite pair of jeggings that fit perfectly around her legs and a top that was semi low cut, low enough for him to enjoy but still be decent.

She got dressed, straightened her hair and put on a light coat of make up. She wasn't one to normally layer her face with tonnes of make up.

She plonked herself on the couch, noting that Danny should be there soon. Just as she sat down, she heard a knock on the door.

Knowing that it was Danny, she got up, checked her outfit and opened the door with a bright smile, lighting up her face.

"Hey Dan, you alright?" she asked, feeling a little self conscious under his gaze.

"Hey babe, I'm fine. And you look absolutely gorgeous," he commented before stepping into the apartment and giving her a full kiss.

He dropped his babag on the floor, needing both his hands to cup her cheeks. He deepened the kiss, wanting more from the beautiful woman standing in front of him.

His fun, however, was cut short when Lindsay pulled away smiling. "Lunch is served. Hope you like it," she told him, gesturing at the table behind him.

Danny turned around to face a table set for two. The two plates contained a generous cut of steak each, topped with what he assumed was black pepper sauce. Each steak was accompanied by a serving of seasonal veggies.

"Damn Linds, did you order this or cook it. It looks freakin amazing," he said while looking at the meal in awe. He had no idea that his girlfriend was so talented.

"It's nothing much Danny. I can cook much more than this in actual fact. Look, I just wanna thank you for being so understanding and amazing. You didn't run when i told you what happened. Instead you stood by me. I wanna show you how grateful I am so I decided to showcase just a little part of my many talents," she explained to him, trying to add a little humour in the end.

"Montana, you don't gotta thank me. I'm always gonna be here for you. Thank you so much for doing this. So what other amazing talents do you have that I should know about?" he asked trying to lighten the air.

"Well that, cowboy, you have to wait and see," she said to him before walking over to the table of food. Smirking, Danny followed behind her and sat in the chair vis-a-vis to hers.

"Go ahead, try it and give me your honest feedback," she coaxed him. Nodding, Danny held his cutlery in his hand and moved them, parallel to his steak. He used his fork and impaled the piece that he had cut up, bringing it up to his face to look at it closely. He purposefully moved ever so slowly, knowing that it would aggravate Lindsay.

"Oh for the love of God can you just eat it already!" Lindsay exclaimed, thoroughly annoyed by his actions.

"Alright, alright. Calm your butt down," he chuckled at her. He brought the piece to his lips and put it in his mouth. Once he started chewing and the flavour of the perfectly marinated meat and the black pepper sauce, his eyes widened.

"Oh dear Lord, this is hella amazing," he admitted and continued cutting up more pieces and stuffing them into his mouth.

"Slow down caveman. It's not gonna run anywhere. Good to know that you like it though," she chided him lightly.

"Like it? Linds I absolutely love it. It's bloody amazin," he commented before adding more food into his mouth.

Chuckling, Lindsay started to eat her own food, all the while watching Danny devour his.

A few minutes and some small talk later, the two were stuffed. Walking over to the couch, Danny plonked himself down, pulling Lindsay onto his lap. She had never sat o a guy's lap before but somehow, with Danny, it felt right and she felt safe.

He grabbed the remote from the coffee table and started flicking through the variety of channels. He knew that Lindsay was staring at him. He could feel her gaze boring into his soul but he had a plan to make sure that she didn't notice that he knew she was staring. If he were to be honest, he kinda liked it.

His plans however failed when Lindsay grabbed his face and turned it to hers. Before he could ask her if she needed anything though, her lips came crashing down on hers. That was one thing that he didn't expect, but there was no way, in any universe, that he was going to stop her.

Lindsay lay down on the arm on the couch, pulling him down with her, all the while their lips never parting. Danny lay partially on her, not wanting to crush her under the weight of his muscular body. He balanced most of his weight on his hands, placed on either sides of her, his thumbs stroking her sides gently.

Lindsay placed her hand on his chest, slowly moving them up and down, feeling his muscles tense underneath her fingers. She hadn't really felt his muscles before then. She was surprised that she had initiated this make out session. That was before she realised that the reason was that she could trust him fully now.

She loved the feel of his muscles under her fingers. More importantly though, she loved his hands on her sides. Him stroking her had caused her skin to goosepimple. Never had she ever felt like that before. In that moment, Lindsay Monroe knew that she had fallen truly, madly and deeply in love with Danny Messer and she wouldn't change it for the world.

Hey guys thanks for being wonderful. There'll definitely be more Danny and Don bromance in the upcoming chapters. I couldn't just ignore Don. He and Danny are like the dynamic duo. It would be absolutely wrong to take him out. So is there anything you guys would want me to add in the upcoming chapters? If there is then just comment it and i'll try my best to include that.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys sorry for the delay in posting. I was kinda busy updating my other fanfic. I'm updating alternately so there will be some time in between the posting of each chapter. Just bear with me and I promise you that you'll enjoy it. Anyway on with the story.

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The sun shone through the light coloured curtains of Lindsay's room, bathing her in gold light. The alarm blaring in her ear roused her from her slumber.

Slowly opening her eyes, Lindsay outstretched her hand to the other side of the bed. The only thing she found, however, was a cold area that - judging by the mess - had been slept on by someone who was long gone by then.

Confused, Lindsay propped herself onto her elbows trying to wake herself up. She was fairly certain that she hadn't gone to bed alone that night.

Looking over to her bedside table, a folded piece of paper being softly blown in the wind caught her eye. She sat up and reached for the note.

On the folded side, she recognised the chicken scrawl of a handwriting of her boyfriend's. She shook her head fondly and opened the note, her eyes greeted by more of his terrible handwriting.

 _Montana,_

 _I'm sorry that I'm not there with you right now but after you fell asleep I had to go back to my place. My mum was kinda worried. But remember, you have nothing to worry about in school alright. I'll meet you there._

 _Love,_

 _Danny XOXO_

Reading that brought a bright smile to Lindsay's features. The love that he channelled to her through the note gave her the strength to face her peers in school.

She trusted him. She trusted that he would have solved the problem.

She got up, with new found energy, and walked into the bathroom, ready to start the day.

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Danny hated leaving her but he knew that his mum would be worried. She already had to worry enough about his older brother. Danny didn't want to put anymore stress on her shoulders.

Slowly untangling himself from the angel sleeping beside him, he grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from her room and wrote her a letter explaining his absence.

He placed it on the table next to her bed, where she would most likely see it, and left, not being able to wait for the next day of school.

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Waking up the next morning, Danny jumped into the shower and went about his usual morning routine at bullet speed.

Although he had spent the entire afternoon with her the previous day, he still missed her. It was evident that he couldn't get enough of her.

Meeting his mum, Elena Messer, in the kitchen, he grabbed a piece of the pancakes that she had made and raced for the door.

"Hold your horses Daniel, what's going on with you?" she asked, noting a change in her son's behaviour over the past few days.

"Ma, I really gotta go alright, I'll talk to you later," he replied before turning towards the door.

"Oh no you don't. You are not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on," she emphasised firmly before sitting down. "Is it about a girl?"

Blushing, Danny looked at everywhere but his mother's face, confirming her suspicions.

"Who is she?" Elena asked her son, wanting to know more about the girl that had got her son running around as though his life depended on it.

"Her name's Lindsay. She's from Montana and I really, really like her. Maybe even love her. She's not like the other super popular girls that I've dated before," he confessed, his pink cheeks still very much evident.

"Oh baby, I'm really happy for you. Don't hesitate to bring her round one day. I really wanna meet her," she told her son, extremely proud of him.

"Sure mom, now I gotta run. I'm meeting her in school," he explained before dashing out the front door.

Laughing at his antics, Elena shook her head and turned back to the chores that she was busy doing. "He is so in love," she murmured to herself. "Just like his father. "

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Once he was out the house, Danny flew down the street to his school, his bag slung over his shoulders.

His aim was to get to school before Lindsay. He wanted him to be the first thing she saw, just in case her nerves got the best of her.

"Thank the Gods that I'm as fit as I am," he thought, patting his muscled abdomen. If he hadn't have been, that run would have given him a heart attack for sure.

He slowed his pace a little when the view of the school was evident, the towering iron gates looming. Brushing past the security guard with a quick hello, he darted into the courtyard, eyes immediately zeroing onto a familiar head of golden-brown hair.

"Hey Montana!" Lindsay turned at the sound of Danny's voice, eyes lighting up with delight. They ran towards one another, resulting in Danny scooping her in his strong arms, twirling the girl in circles as she shrieked with laughter.

She buried her face in his shoulders, breathing the masculine scent of his cologne. Danny sighed, shoulders relaxing, and the couple remained holding one another for a good few minutes, each memorising and savouring the feel of blossoming warmth.

"I missed you, " Lindsay confessed quietly, and the arms around her waist tightened. "When I woke up and you weren't there, there's this drop in my stomach until I read your note. I don't know what to do without you. "

She pried herself from Danny's grip, holding him at arm's length to trace his face with her fingers. She focused on the blue of his eyes, his sharp jawline, his soft cheeks, heart swelling with fondness as Danny began to nuzzle into her palm, like an affectionate puppy.

They shared a secret smile, his usual sly grin replaced with a rare softness only reserved for Lindsay.

That's when Lindsay knew, she would follow wherever Danny went, be it through bustling cities or rocky plains. She wanted to stay by his side always, holding hands and sharing laughter and joy.

"I love you, you know that right? "

Danny bared his teeth into a dazzling smile, "Me too." He pulled her into his arms, "And since you love me, care to watch my latest practice session?"

She grinned with a teasing lilt in her eyes, "Of course, Mr Basketball Captain. Should I bring poms poms and wear a cheerleader outfit?"

Danny groaned, as though pained at the mere mention of his admirers, and Lindsay giggled and bopped him on the nose.

"Alright, alright. Look I gotta ask you something," he paused waiting for her nod. Seeing her head bob up and down, he continued, "You wanna come over to my place after my basketball practice today? I kinda told my mum that I was dating someone new and that I really like her and she kinda wants to meet you."

"Yeah of course. But what if she doesn't like me," she replied him, that fear momentarily shocking her. "Montana, she will love you. I promise," he comforted her before pulling her into a hug.

The ringing of the school bell, caused them to pull away from each other, indicating that they had to get to class.

Clasping Lindsay's hand firmly in his, they strode towards their lockers to deposit their things.

Even as their arms were loaded with books and the hallway was cramped with mingling students, their hands remained clasped together as they navigated to the labs, palms tingling with electricity.

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The last period of the day was the worst. Both Danny and Lindsay were horribly bored and to make matters worse, they both were in different classes.

They had made the arrangement to meet at Lindsay's locker after their classes ended. The pair couldn't wait for the final bell to ring.

Lindsay repeatedly watched the slow clock ticking away. She counted down the seconds, her eyes following the second hand as it made its last round around the circumference of the clock.

Lindsay was the first one out of the classroom after the bell finally rang. She walked straight to her locker with her head down, hoping not to attract any unwanted attention.

Sure she knew that Danny had already spoken and threatened the entire school population but there was also a chance that people might not listen to him.

Reaching her locker, she came face to face with the one person that she really didn't want to talk to or even look at. Nicole and her entourage were standing too close to her locker, talking in hushed tones.

Somehow Lindsay knew that they were there to stir up trouble. She kept her head down, hoping to go unnoticed by them - at least until Danny arrived. She was so not in the mood to be pissed off at that point.

Her plan, however, was squashed when she heard her name being called by an obnoxiously high voice. Being polite, she turned around to see the three of them looking majorly pissed at her.

"Hey gurl," Kelly greeted snidely, tossing her hair over her revealing shoulder, "How's your week going? Still traumatised by your high school experience?"

Lindsay huffed a laugh, rolling her eyes at these girls' immature antics. "Don't you have anything better to do, like, being the little whore that you are?"

"Excuse me? I'll have you know -" Kelly started to defend herself but was cut off by Nicole who was losing her patience.

"Look I don't know who you think you are. You come into our territory and you try and change everything. For your sakes, I hope you're smart enough to know that if you don't leave Danny, things are going to get ugly," she told Lindsay with a smug smile plastered on her face.

"Oh well I'm sorry that I've pissed you off this much. Although I'm quite flattered that you feel threatened by me," Lindsay apologised flatly, with no remorse what so ever.

"I do not feel threatened by you Lindsay, trust me," Nicole tried to defend herself.

"Then you wouldn't be so insecure. I'm dating Danny now. Get over it. There are plenty of fish in the sea so go find someone else to screw with cause we're not interested," Lindsay sassed her.

Turning around, she spotted Danny making his way over to her. With a bright smile attached to her face, she pushed past the three ladies and made her way over to him.

"I'm sorry I'm late babe. I had to talk to the teacher about something. Ready to go have some lunch?" he asked her, placing a loving kiss to her cheek.

"Don't worry about it. Let's go," she chirped happily before pulling his arm around her shoulders. Together the pair walked to the cafeteria to gain some energy before Danny's basketball practice.

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Lindsay had been sitting in the bleachers, watching Danny practice for his latest match. He hadn't had one since she moved there so she had never really seen him play before.

Watching him play now, however, she realised why he was the captain. Despite the height difference between him and his teammates, he was still the one that shone.

Lindsay was thoroughly enjoying herself, cheering him on whenever she could. If she thought he was hot before, now she honestly had no words to describe him.

The way his sweat glistened on his body, his genuine smile during the game, all the winks that he was sending her just added to the already strong feelings she had for him. The only thing she loved seeing the most was his muscles rippling everytime he passed the ball or shot a basket.

She could see the cheerleaders waving their pompoms in the air trying to cheer the team on but only being successful at distracting the boys with their overly tiny outfits.

Not only was Lindsay watching Danny the entire time, she was also watching the practice routine of the cheerleaders. Each time they made a mistake, she could clearly point it out.

She had been a cheerleader in her old school with her friends. However, after losing them, she couldn't bear the thought of doing it again. She averted her eyes as the girls did their tricks and spins, nostalgia clouding her mind.

Thankfully, the lively atmosphere of the basketball practise erased her negative thoughts, and Lindsay decided to focus her attention on her boyfriend, smiling and wolf-whistling appreciatively as he made in shot after shot.

Danny was beyond ecstatic, his boosted spirits adding on to his performance so much, his coach gave him a thumbs up. He got to showcase his skills to Lindsay and possibly win her over more. He was afraid that she'd be reluctant to carry on with the relationship as she needed time to get over her friends.

He didn't want to lose her. He wanted to make sure that she was his and he was hers. But if she wanted to break it off with him, for whatever reason, he would listen to her. To him, all that mattered was that she was happy.

His biggest fear at that point in time was losing her. Never before in his life had he ever felt like that. Before Lindsay, he had a new girlfriend almost every week. That was the norm for him.

Looking at his girlfriend sitting on the bleachers he realised that she was what he was waiting for. Now he didn't want anyone else. He had one constant girl in his life and that was Lindsay - no two ways about it.

As if he needed any more confirmation, his attempt at a three-pointer evoked loud cheers from both his teammates and the audience as the ball went through the net like water sluicing down the windowpane, and Danny liked to think that Fate was approving of Lindsay too.

His coach yelled for a break, jabbing a finger at the gym's notice board, where the bulky man had just pinned a new list among the yellowed notes and dog-eared reminders. His teammates immediately rushed towards the board, shoving and pushing.

Danny took his time, strolling towards where Lindsay stood holding a chilled bottled of water and a fluffy towel. She quirked an eyebrow at him as he neared her. "Not going to look at the list? Nationals is a serious matter."

He smirked, taking a long swig of water, relieved for the icy burn down his throat. "I'm always selected. It's a fact. "

Like on cue, Flack shouted,"Oi Messer, you better get your ass over here. Coach wants to discuss tactics with the point guard!"

Danny chuckled, opting to ignore his best friend to press a kiss to Lindsay's head, happiness blooming in his chest despite the catcalls and sniggers. "I've a good feeling about today. "

Lindsay peeked shyly from under her eyelashes. "I'm going to meet your bringer to the world, aka Mother Messer. I don't think that's a good idea."

"Anything is good with you in it."

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Once practise was over, Danny ran past the cheerleaders and straight to Lindsay. Quickly, they set out to go to his house.

On the way over, the couple were happily laughing and talking, getting to know each other more. Danny would ask Lindsay some random question that popped into his head while Lindsay would answer it and vice versa.

"What if your mom doesn't like me?" Lindsay questioned Danny as they were nearing his house. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

"Babe, she's going to love you. Trust me. Now come on and follow me," he assured her.

Hand in hand they made the remaining of the journey to his house, Lindsay absorbing the comfort that he provided. She tried her hardest to let her fears fade. "If she's anything like Danny says she is then I shouldn't worry. It'll be fine," she thought.

The main reason why she was afraid was that she wasn't good with mothers. She could hardly get along with her mother let alone someone else's. She didn't want to ruin their relationship because she couldn't get along with his mother.

As they walked up to the front steps of the house, Lindsay got a good look at where Danny had grown up.

The house was a regular two storey house. It had a cozy looking facade and a white picket fence surrounding the perimeter. There were small, square windows that were arranged in a fairly symmetrical position on the house. Overall, it resembled a mellow-brick-and-slate-picture-book-farmhouse.

On the spacious front porch, there was a bench attached to a swing with a rounded antique table placed beside it brimming with desserts. She eyed the exquisite china plates towering with cream bagels and ham sandwiches, noting the still steaming cup of tea. Looks like someone was home.

There was a simplicity to it that just attracted Lindsay. Perhaps it was the fact that it reminded her of her own home back in Montana.

Nostalgia hit Lindsay after she saw the front lawn especially. It was a fairly large area that was a bright green. Lindsay could tell that Danny's mother had a green thumb after seeing the splotches of colour from flowers around the lawn. Dark ivy crawled up the fences, dotting with small white lillies and crimson roses, perfuming the air with the heavy scent of honeysuckle and dew.

A large butterfly with blue-green splotches fluttered by, delicately landing on Danny's nose. He stared at it, cross-eyed with a funny face, earning a laugh from Lindsay as the little bug disapprovingly flew away.

She could just imagine Danny as a kid, running across the lawn playing and having fun. From what he'd told her so far, she could tell that he had a rather enjoyable childhood.

They walked to the front door and entered. The interior of the house - in Lindsay's opinion - was much more exquisite than the exterior. The first thing that struck her when she entered was the stairs that led up to the second floor. The stairs were lustrously grand, with the steps polished to a gleam and gold wrought into the rails. It was positioned right in front of the door, allowing that to be visitors first impression of the house.

To the right of the stairs, she saw what she thought was the living room. In it was a comfortable looking beige couch that looked fully sat on. There was a relatively big TV situated in front of the couch which Lindsay stared at, slightly envious, Danny giving an amused chuckle.

"My father's gift to my mother," he explained, lightly patting the flat screen. "You should have seen my mother's face when she recieved it. She nearly threw a fit, believed the old man was wasting precious money on that darn thing."

The glass windows were wall-length, displaying a large overview of the beautiful garden outside. Ornaments and other queer trinkets were scattered about: a carved statue spewing out a mini waterfall in one corner, a delicate glass swan atop the coffee table amongst gossip tabloids. Lindsay eyed the numerous paintings adorned on the sky blue walls, each more vibrant and colourful than the next.

To the left of the stairs was an opening to the dining room. There was an Italian like dining table for 6, with plates already assembled. There were cabinets full of amber-coloured liquor waiting to be drank by someone. Pots and pans were suspended from the arched ceiling, the sound of clinging metal echoing as the wind blew. Danny led her through a door in the dining room that led to the kitchen.

Their steps echoed across the wooden tiles, followed by the scrap of a chair dragged across the floor.

Sitting at the kitchen table was a woman that looked like she was in her late 40s. Light blonde hair in a loose bun, nimble hands handling an assortment of vegetables with grace, a frilly apron tied to a small waist. Her eyes, which had the same vibrant blue as her son's, widened at their arrival.

"Ma we're home," Danny greeted his mother upon entering the room. The woman abandoned the potatoes she was peeling to embrace her child in a tight hug.

"Daniel, there you are. I've been - " she cut off as she saw that her son wasn't alone.

"Ma I would like to introduce you to Lindsay, my girlfriend. Montana, this is my mom," Danny introduced them proudly, though there was a hint of nervousness in his usually confident voice.

"Hi Mrs Messer. It's a pleasure to meet you," Lindsay greeted sincerely, mentally cheering when she didn't stuttered. She fidgeted as the woman gave her a long once-over, before her eldery face broke into a blinding smile.

"Oh nonsense. Please call me Elena. Mrs Messer was my mother-in-law. And it's a pleasure to meet you too. Now I know why my son's been running around like he's lost his head. He's got himself a good girl," she complimented Lindsay, making her blush profusely.

"Thanks, Elena," she replied shyly. "You have a really lovely home by the way." Elena barked out a laugh, shaking her head fondly.

"You don't have to thank me for that. It was my husband who built this expensive monstrosity from scratch." she sighed, exasperated but affectionate. "Speaking of that old rascal, he should've been back by now."

"Where's dad?" Danny asked, rummaging through the fridge, picking out two iced bottles of orange juice, one which Lindsay accepted gratefully. The summer heat was nearly intolerable.

"He went to the store to pick up a few things. He should be back soon," his mother brandished a wooden spoon at Danny, sniffling in distaste at the sweaty jersey plastered to his sticky skin. "As for you, young man, you ought to wash up. I won't allow dirty hands in my kitchen."

Danny pouted, unease stirring in his gut at the thought of leaving his beloved girlfriend with his rather protective mother, but Elena kept her stance firm, arms crossed and face stern despite the fact that her son towered over her by many centremeters.

"Daniel Messer. You should know by now that the puppy look stopped working on me since you were five."

Danny knew he could never win a battle against his stubborn mother. "In that case I'm gonna let you guys mingle while i have a shower," he informed them as he slowly and animatedly retreated from the room, making the two women laugh.

"Would you like some help?" Lindsay asked, gaze zeroing on the piles of spices and raw ingrediens laid out on the kitchen counters. It must be dinnertime soon.

Seeing Elena's nod, she grabbed the potato peeler and began peeling off the skins of the numerous potatoes on the table.

"So tell me about yourself," Elena asked her, wanting to know as much as possible. She was already starting to like the girl sitting in front of her. She was unlike any other girl that Danny ever brought home, with her down-to-earth demeanour and honest caramel-brown eyes.

"Well, I just transferred here from Montana during spring. I'm staying with my uncle in his apartment. The two of us are super close." A neat slice of the potato skin, revealing its yellowed insides. "He was the one who managed to convince my parents to let me come here. I just really needed to get away from there and they didn't understand. They still don't, but they let me leave anyway."

Lindsay wanted Elena to know her properly. She didn't want to lie to her. She wanted - no, _needed_ \- Elena to like her. She knew that telling her about the incident that made her want to leave would not really accomplish that, but she was determined that there would be no lies.

"Why did you want to leave so bad? You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Elena questioned her with peaked curiosity. Her eyes were focused on chopping up stalks of fresh leaves, but her attention was solely on Lindsay.

There was a pause. "I - uh - I witnessed a crime. My three best friends and my boyfriend were murdered in front of me," she explained while tear streaks formed on her cheeks involuntarily. "We were at a diner back home and I was in the bathroom when the maniac with the gun burst in and shot them. I stayed in the bathroom, too scared to move."

Lindsay reached up to wipe the wetness on her cheeks with trembling fingers. Damn it, she wasn't supposed to cry, especially not in front of the mother of the boy she loved. "I had to get away from there. There were way too many memories."

"Oh Lindsay, I'm so sorry," Elena apologised, not really knowing how to help her. The woman hurried over, her heart nearly breaking at the sight of the girl convulsing into a sobbing mess.

Danny chose that exact moment to come down from his shower. The sight of his girlfriend crying sent alarms around his body.

Picking up his pace, he walked over to her and enveloped her in his arms. Slowly, he stroked her hair while she wrapped her arms around his waist. He tried as much as he could to calm her down, whispering sweet nothings into her ear and keeping their breaths in sync.

Staring at his mother, he demanded, with his eyes, to know what happened. Understanding what her son wanted, Elena slowly explained to him about the shooting.

Of the murder of the 4 most important people in Lindsay's life, how they got ruthlessly taken away from her.

Once she had started to calm down, Danny pressed a kiss to her forehead and looked into her eyes. "You alright Montana?" Danny asked her lovingly, worry dimmimg his gaze.

"Yeah, thanks Dan. I'm fine," she replied softly, hicoughing a little. Lindsay then turned to Elena, head bowed shamefully. "I'm so sorry for breaking down like that. I'm just - "

"Now there, darling, there's no need for an apology," Elena interupted gently. "Anyone who went through that deserves a cry once in a while. Its only sensible," the woman added, her tone softening like how a mother would comfort her precious child. "So don't think you did anything wrong, 'cuz you didn't."

Lindsay's eyes widened, could feel her vision blurring with tears once more. Her mother was never kind and compassionate like Elena. Lindsay could only remember harsh words and even more biting remarks, bruising wounds and cold eyes.

Danny leaned over, lips tenderly brushing away each drop from her eyelashes. "You're such a crybaby," he murmured, but the concern and pure love radiating from just his gaze alone had Lindsay's heart racing, mind whirling and chest fizzling like fireworks. She nuzzled into his warm arms, returning each whispered "I love you" with a fervent kiss.

For the first time in her life, she felt at home.

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"He called earlier, you know."

Danny looked up from where he was observing his girlfriend sprawled asleep on their couch. His fingers, which were carding through her long strands, stilled as though paralysed for a moment.

He resumed petting Lindsay to sleep. "I don't know what you're talking about."

His mother narrowed her eyes at him, her lips pressed into a thin line. "He asked about you. He's worried for his baby brother." Her gaze moved to the light shining from the dining room, and Danny could hear his father bustling about cleaning plates, humming a cheery tune. "Your father misses him very much, and so do I."

He gritted his teeth, trying to calm himself from letting his fiery temper run wild. The last thing Lindsay needed was her boyfriend getting enraged at the mere mention of his brother. "I don't see how this concerns me."

"Loui - "

"Enough," Danny stood up aruptly, gaze hardened and hands balled into fists. That name sent waves of hot anger through his body, blazing and white-hot. He shot Lindsay's sleeping form a conflicted look. "Tell me when Lindsay wakes up. I promised her uncle I would bring her back by eight." With that, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the dining room.

Elena pressed her face into her palms, feeling a throbbing headache incoming. She peered at Lindsay though the gaps of her fingers, eyes sorrowful and alighted with hope at the same time.

"I wonder if you can comfort him as much as he comforts you," Elena muttered, voice laced with grief. "That boy has the same amount of sense as a stubborn mule. But then again, he gets it from me, I suppose."

Her eyes wandered to the coffee table, on to Danny's mobile phone which he had left in his haste to escape the room. On the brightly lit screen, it displayed:

 _5 missed calls_

 _Louie Messer_


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys so just bear with me. I'll post as much as I can but I'm slightly busy with school work. But I still appreciate u guys so please continue reading thnks.

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Chapter 6

 _Clang._

Lindsay woke up in Danny's bed, cocooned with woolen blankets and the comforting lavender of her boyfriend's scent, the harsh sounds that had delivered her rude awakening still ringing shrilly in her ears.

It was currently seven in the morning according to the blaring red letters of the digital clock on the dresser, the windows displaying the sky outside bleeding pale pink and baby blue into the fluffy clouds, like a mess of watercolours. She blinked away the hazy cloud of sleep from her eyes, blurry images finally focusing in place. Was Danny already awake?

 _Clang. Clang._

With the blankets still draped around her shoulders like a cloak, Lindsay tiptoed out of the room, her bare feet numbing from the chilly wooden floor as she headed down the stairs, shivering slightly as the morning chill slipped under her clothes and pressed its icy fingers on her bare skin.

Ears straining to pinpoint the sounds, she poked her head around the kitchen door, stifling a laugh when her eyes were met with an amusing scene.

Tufts of blonde hazardously messy, pajamas sleeves crinkled and spectacles askrewed, Danny was seated at the kitchen table, head lolled to the side and mouth agaped as he snored softly, the sewing machine placed in front of him wheezing with life as it hammered away.

The rhythmic tempo of the sewing machine's sliver needle bobbing up and down, up and down, was loud and hypnotising. Underneath the pulsing needle is a mess of red and blue fabric, and Lindsay narrowed her eyes suspiciously at a piece of cloth dangling off the table as she quickly switched the machine off. Was that supposed to be a cape?

"Danny," His eyelids opened slightly at her voice, and Lindsay tried not to smile at how adorably confused he looked as he rubbed the grittiness from his sky blue eyes with his fists like a toddler.

She wrapped her blankets around him, cooing. "Baby, what are you sewing so early in the morning?"

Her boyfriend gave a loud sigh, his glasses slipping precariously from the bridge of his nose. He hunched over the kitchen table, eyeing the cloth monstrosity with great disdain. Lindsay giggled behind her palm, bemused that even when Danny was frustrated, he still managed to look furiously _hot._

"Ma wants me to sew this Spiderman dress for our neighbour's daughter for trick or treating today since she's busy with her morning yoga class," He grumbled, reaching for his mug on the table, draining the coffee in one big gulp.

Lindsay gave a little hum in surprise. "Oh my, I nearly forgot that Halloween is here."

"Yep, I'm suppose to babysit her for her trick or treating in the evening too." Danny pulled at his hair, glaring at the pile of fabric in his front vision. "I can't believe I'm sewing a Spiderman costume. I want something cooler, like Green Arrow."

Lindsay chuckled, giving a quick peck to his cheek before skipping over to the counter and igniting the coffee machine with a whirl. She pulled out the frying pan and a box of batter from the cabinets, firing up the stove."I don't think Spiderman wears a cape, babe."

"Spiderman doesn't wear a floor-length dress either, so I think I'm allowed to have some liberties in crafting a six year-old's costume." Danny leaned back into the wooden chair, stretching his arm muscles with a stiff groan. "Its not my fault the kid wants to break gender rules."

"Its the twentieth century. I think she's allowed to think that." The coffee machine gave a finishing beep.

"Speakin' of Halloween, our costumes should match." Danny accepted the full pot of coffee with a murmur of thanks, sipping his mug with a happy sigh.

"Of course," Lindsay replied simply, flipping a large slab of pancake like a professional, the smell of sizzling butter and honey filling the cozy kitchen. "What _marvelous_ ideas do you have in store for us?"

Danny scrunched his face up thoughtfully, eyebrows creasing together like that of a puppy's. "Hmm...Mario and Luigi?"

"Daniel, that's gross. They're _brothers_."

"Its what Flack and his girlfriend dressed up as for Halloween last year!" He frowned slightly, abashed that his idea was shot down almost immediately. It was _cute._ "Besides, tons of other couples go as Mario and Luigi."

"That's why you will never win the best couple of the year award," Lindsay teased as she carefully maneuvered the towering pile of their breakfast to a single plate. "We should be something different, not mainstream."

"True, we are not just any ordinary couple," Danny nodded fervently, illiciting an eyeroll from Lindsay. She brandished the spatula at him cheekily.

"We must be innovative. Think outside of the box with your puny little brain."

 _"Why you - "_ Danny shot off from his chair with a mock growl, and Lindsay squealed as she ran around the kitchen with her boyfriend hot on her heels, before he inevitably captured her waist with strong arms, peppering her hair with kisses and tickling her sides.

She squirmed in his hold, laughter bubbling out of her mouth. "You'll never take me alive!" Lindsay could feel his grin on her neck, his warm breath ghosting over the shell of her ear that sent thrills down her spine, and a low whine escaped from her throat when he suddenly pulled away with a sigh.

"Sorry baby girl, I got to finish up the dress before Ma comes back, or else I'm in for a scoldin'." Danny ran his hands tiredlly over his face, and her heart ached at the dark circles under his eyes. He probably didn't have much sleep last night, stroking her hair and wiping stray tears from her eyes 'til the early hours of the morning, before carrying her to his room bridal-style.

Lindsay tugged at the hem of his button-up shirt, prompting him to tilt down as her fingers rose to smooth the creases between his eyebrows. "Granted, I suck at sewing, but I can sew the last parts for you?"

A smile was tugged at the corner of his lips. He took her hand in his, bringing them close to his mouth so he could kiss each of her fingers tenderly, making her face flushed. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I wouldn't want anything to happen to these beautiful fingers."

"Anyway," Danny added as he turned towards his handiwork, "I may or may not have sewed the arm to the skirt, so its ruined."

Lindsay just gave an exasperated but fond smile at her boyfiend's ridiculous antics, shaking her head. She's used to it by now. "You're so stupid. How did I end up with you again?"

He grinned, all blinding white teeth and mischievous blue eyes. "My good looks and irresistible charms?"

Lindsay stared at him, amazed at his surge of confidence. "Unbelievable. I've got the cutest, sexiest and most egoistic boyfriend ever," she deadpanned.

"But I'm _your_ egoistic boyfriend," Danny tapped on her nose playfully, and Lindsay could feel her eyebrows rising to her hairline even as her cheeks warmed. She knew her ears were embarassingly red when he snorted in amusement.

Lindsay slapped at his chest, burying her face into his neck and letting out a contented sigh when she felt his nimble fingers itching at her scalp. "You big idiot. Go finish the costume already," she mumbled.

He smiled gently down at her, absolute adoration in his voice. "I know."

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It turns out, everything was a mess.

Lindsay loved Halloween, had always looked forward to sending giggling children away from her door with huge bags of candy and carving hideously cute pumpkins to place on her welcome mat and windowstill. She enjoyed staying up late watching re-runs of zombie films and getting high off Cadsbury chocolates.

She had never gone to trick or treating before, her parents never allowed her to and restricted her to the house; she didn't expect how hectic things got when its half past seven and they still weren't even in their costumes yet.

Danny's six year-old neighbour, an outgoing girl with a round face and cheerful demeanour by the name of Celestyn, was running throughout the house in her fabulous Spiderman dress (courtesy of Lindsay) but missing a shoe. Her best friend, a half-chinese girl with a stoic face, Wan Shi whom was dubbed as Bucket, hadn't even gotten her ghoul makeup on.

Danny however, was looking immaculately as handsome as always. He was donning a country style red checkered shirt, tucked into blue-black jeans that showed off his assets perfectly. His amazing features and body made him look like the ideal cowboy. To top off his entire look, a straw hat covered his blonde hair, a pair of leather buckled boots finishing his long muscled legs.

Of course the culprit who put him in the hat had to be that lovely girlfriend of his. She just had to look at him in that hat and tell him that she loved it with that smile of hers and his heart melted: he was a goner.

His better half was also wearing a similar get up to his. A checkered red shirt was covering her upper body while a pair of light blue skinny jeans covered her lower half. She had her shirt expertly tucked into her jeans, using the abundant amount of experience that she had from her childhood.

Being from the country, she felt at home and comfortable in the outfit. She had her hair in two low pigtails, giving her even more of a country look. A scarf hung loosely around her neck, complimenting well with her tanned skin.

As she struggled to push her foot into her pair of brown leather boots and complete their matching cowboy looks, Celestyn rushed into the living room with large eyes, Wan Shi following close behind, "Bucket needs her ghoul fac _e now_!"

"Tintin needs her shoe too," Wan Shi added quietly in the background. Danny reached forward and ruffled Celestyn's mess of pigtails fondly.

"I'll find your shoe. Montana, will you do her face paint?" He gestured to the soon-to-be ghoul in her little hooded cloak.

"I'm planning on it," Lindsay grabbed the Halloween makeup pallet of reds, greens and blacks that she had pleaded her uncle to drop by the store to purchase for this event. Fumbling with the cup of her makeup brushes, she led Wan Shi up the stairs to the bathroom, where she hoisted the girl on the sink, under the bright gleam of the fluorescent lights.

"So what do you want to go for? White face? Green blood?" Lindsay mused as they stared at the various shades on the pallet. " Ah no, I get it - green face, black lipstick, red scars?" Wan Shi gave a delighted laugh, nodding her head.

"Make the scars extra bloody, please."

"What a polite ghoul you are."

Lindsay crouched down and began applying the green foundation, her face screwed up in concentration. By the time she's done, Wan Shi will be the most terrifying ghoul New York has ever seen. She knew what she was doing; she had watched three Youtube tutorials that afternoon.

Each stroke of the brush layered down shadows of grey and black, giving the girl prominent dark eyes and sunken hollow cheeks. It was weird to see smooth baby skin turning to pasty green like the colour of sour grapes, but she still looked cute which frustrated Lindsay to no end.

After splattering on more blood, Lindsay was finally finished with her masterpiece. Arching an eyebrow critically, she assessed the makeup, humming doubtdully. Wan Shi still resembled a kid, but she looked like a human child who wasn't fast enough during the zombie apocalypse, and got bitten to turn into an adorable zombie kid.

Lindsay was just about to congratulate herself on turning the cutest kid in the world into something _almost_ gruesome, when suddenly Wan Shi smiled, revealing bunny teeth, and she took it all back.

Rubbing her temples, she sighed dramatically, resigned to the fact that no matter what she did, Lindsay could never, in her whole life, be able to make Wan Shi looked even remotely frightening.

The six year-old however, took one glimpse of her reflection in the mirror, still illuminated by the harsh yellow stare of the bathroom lights, and shrieked in fascinated terror. At least she liked it.

"Thanks Lindsay!" Wan Shi squeaked out, enthralled by her appearance. "I'm the scariest ghoul. Did I scare you when you're putting my makeup on?"

"Yeah," Lindsay replied solemnly. "I was barely able to keep it together, but I did, for your sake."

"Cool!" The girl leapt from the sink, scrambling away to show off her ghoul makeup. Lindsay began putting away the brushes, scrubbing the smudged stains from her palms under the spitting faucet. She yelled into the void.

"Did anyone find Celestyn's shoe?"

No one replied. Lindsay allowed her head to rest gently on the bathroom mirror with a heavy thud. She wasn't really expecting a reply, but it was worth a shot.

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 _Knock knock._ _"Trick or treat!!!"_

That was about the only thing ringing in Danny's ear at that pointpoint. He had spent majority of the night with screeching children. Not just Wan Shi and Celestyn, but Lindsay too. She was just as highly enthusiastic as the kids.

The four of them had gone door to door around their neighbourhood, knocking on doors and collecting candy. Surprisingly, the adults were nice enough to give the teens some candy too.

On the way to the fifth house on the street, Wan Shi kicked at the stray pebbles scattered about the concrete, face pulled into a glum expression. "Why hasn't anyone told me I look scary yet?" she mumbled in an adorably sad voice.

Danny had to stifle a laugh. Wan Shi was a six year old with angelic features and an innocent smile to match. No amount of Halloween make-up from the nearby thrift shops could hide that. Lindsay bit her lip, trying to stop her growing grin.

"I think you look scary," Celestyn patted her friend's shoulder sympathetically. Easy enough for her to say - people had been gushing about her Spiderman dress all night, and Wan Shi scowled, prompting Danny to crouch to her eye-level and smooth out the creases on her forehead with gentle fingers, his smile warm.

"I think people are probably too scared to tell you how they really feel, " Danny pressed a comforting kiss on Wan Shi's hair. Lindsay reached forward to twine her fingers with his, giving an encouraging smile to the distressed ghoul child.

Wan Shi rubbed the tears from her eyes, her distraught expression turning to one of thoughtfulness. "I didn't mean to be _that_ scary, I'm very nice." Lindsay tipped her head back and laughed, her strands of brown hair falling loosely from her pigtails, "That's right, you're the nicest and scariest ghoul I've ever met. "

Wan Shi made sure to assure the lady they visited next that her ghoul exterior was just a facade, and that she was actually a really nice girl. The lady laughed, a twinkling sound in the night, before handing them giant bars of Hershey chocolates. As Lindsay and the children chorused their thanks and were trooping down the front porch, Danny spied the sliver ring on the lady's ring finger, eyes widening at the words etched on the metal band.

 _Louie_

He stilled, mid-step. The lady blinked at him, puzzled and albeit concerned to why he froze, but his blue eyes remained fixed on the jewellery, the glinting of the diamond taunting him.

 _Nah, it can't be._ Danny shook his head furiously, turning to bound down the steps two at a time, jogging towards where Lindsay was waiting for him at the front gate. He diminished her worried frown with a forced grin, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. _I gotta get him out of my head._

By the time they were done, they all had jack-o-lantern bags overflowing with all sorts of candy: caramel chocolates, the sweets with pedophilic-looking Santa on the wrapper and the kinds that had some french-sounding names that sent Lindsay into fits of giggles as Danny tried to pronounce them.

"Alright, let's head back. " Around 10pm, Danny started to notice the drooping eyelids of the kids, followed by their yawns and the dragging of feet against the ground. Lindsay looked just as tired, the energy from her sugar rush earlier seemed to have died down over the past two hours. Despite much protest, he managed to drag them home.

Now he sat on his couch in solitude, waiting for Lindsay to come back from the store. They were both starving and candy probably wasn't the best dinner option. Lindsay offered to go buy them something to munch on, seeing Danny's tired face.

Once she got back, they tore open the containers, wanting to eat the heavenly smelling food. Danny had one question burning in his mind and that was probably the best time to ask it.

"Hey Montana, have you always been this excited during Halloween?" he asked with a smile.

"Damn right. I loved it. Going out, dressing up and having fun. Me and the girls used to coordinate our outfits. We'd even buy them all together. But ever since, you know... " she trailed off, knowing that he'd understand.

"I haven't really gone for it. I skipped it last year. It was too hard," she continued, her eyes refusing to meet his.

Noticing this, he abandoned his meal and walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her and whispering reassuarences in her ear.

"Are you alright?" Danny asked her, his voice laced with worry.

"Yeah I'm fine. Don't worry," she replied sincerely. With Danny around, she never had to worry about getting sucked into her past. She knew that no matter what he'd be there for her to lean on.

Danny could tell that she needed some comfort and support. He brought his finger to her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. "I love you," he told her before crashing his lips down onto his.

The suddenness of his actions startled Lindsay a little at first. Getting her bearings, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She got up out of the chair and planted herself onto Danny's lap.

The intensity of their kiss just kept escalating and escalating. Neither of them wanted to part from the other. In their somewhat short lifespan, never had they ever had someone that they cared about like that, apart from their parents in Danny's case.

Danny picked Lindsay up with her wrapping her legs around his waist, wanting to get to a more comfortable position on the couch. Never once did their lips part, apart for some much needed oxygen.

Just as Danny reached the couch, the sound of the doorbell broke them apart. Laughing, Lindsay rested her forehead on his, both trying to catch their breaths. Looking at the pure look of love from her face and her swollen lips, Danny felt his heart swell.

Before he could even think about kissing her again, the doorbell rang for a second time. Lindsay got up from Danny's lap, letting him find out who exactly had disturbed their moment together.

Pulling open the wooden front door of his house, Danny came face to face with the last person in the world that he wanted to see. His brother, Louie was standing there with a smug look on his face.

"Sorry bro, I forgot to get the keys," he explained, pushing past the younger Messer into the house.

As kids, the brothers were inseparable. It always seemed like they were joined at the hip. Danny, being the youngest, always looked up Louie.

However, as the years flew by and they started growing into their own people, they started drifting apart. Louie got in with the wrong people and Danny spent most of his time studying and trying to make his parents proud. To him, he was the only one who could do that what with Louie going down the path that he was going.

Entering the house, the first person that Louie laid eyes on was Lindsay, watching TV from the couch.

Hearing the door open, Lindsay's head bopped up, waiting for Danny to walk in again. However, the look he had on his face was one she had never seen before. It was somewhat a mixture of fury and disbelif.

Wondering why he was looking like that, Lindsay immediately jumped off the couch and walked towards him. Stopping in her tracks she saw someone push past Danny into the house.

"Woah Danno, who's this?"she heard a voice say. Looking over her boyfriend's shoulder, she saw an older looking version of Danny - albeit not that much older. In fact, Lindsay would bet that he was just a couple years older than Danny.

"Louie, this is my girlfriend Lindsay. Linds, this is my brother Louie," Danny introduced the two reluctantly. He positioned his body in front of Lindsay's just in case Louie decided to pull any fast ones.

"Well damn little bro. Who knew you could score someone this hot?" Louie openly said, moving ever so slowly toward Lindsay.

"You know, you're with the wrong Messer. I'm much better than my brother. So how bout we take this somewhere else, just you and me," he proposed, looking past Danny and straight into the brown of Lindsay's eyes.

Lindsay smiled brightly up at him. "Sorry, not interested," she declined over Danny's shoulder.

"Hey Louie, can I talk to you in the kitchen please," Danny asked, steering his brother into the room without waiting for a response.

All Lindsay could hear from the living room were muffled voices getting increasingly louder. She tip toed over to the door leading to said kitchen, hoping to eavesdrop on a little of the conversation.

The tension in Danny's voice was the only thing that stood out to her. She could hear the brothers yelling at each other. Peering into the door, she recognised Danny's stance.

It was the one that he had when he was about to beat someone up. Looking at Louie, she was almost certain that he'd be able to hold his own. Not wanting Danny to get hurt, she decided that it was the best time for her to intercept.

She was just in time. Just as she entered the kitchen, the two brothers' fists were an inch away from the others'.

"Woah, woah, woah. Knock it off," she screamed at them, standing between them so that they wouldn't hit each other.

Lindsay turned around to look at Louie, seeing blood dripping down his lips. Evidentially, Danny's knuckles had made contact with Louie's face.

Looking at Danny, she saw an expression that she'd never seen before - one of dejection and loss. To her, Danny had been a fighter from the moment they met. But, from his face, it felt as though he'd lost all fighting ability.

Something inside Lindsay snapped. She hated seeing him like that.

"What the hell did you say to him? From what I heard, you were just downgrading him. Throughout the entire conversation. He's your brother for goodness sakes. Before you stepped foot here, he was happy. Then you walk in and he's suddenly looking super down. I swear if I hear you talking to him like that one more time, I have no idea what I'm going to do," she warned him, walking towards him with her index finger shaking with fury.

"Get out!" At that point, she wanted nothing more than to make Danny smile again.

Louie turned on his heel, refusing to lose face in front of them. Immediately, Lindsay walked over to the fridge to get some ice for Danny's knuckles that were bound to be hurting, judging by the wound on Louie.

"Thanks Montana," Danny told her, sincerely, a small smile creeping up on his face.

"No one has ever dared talk to him like that before. Thanks for standing up for me," he reiterated, wrapping his arms around her.

"I just couldn't stand seeing you like that. I just kinda snapped I guess," she explained her actions, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

Tilting her head up, Danny lowered his lips onto hers, showing her how thankful he was instead of telling her.


End file.
